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Wreckage from missing K2 Airways cargo jet found off Pakistan coast

Pakistan Navy locates Boeing 737-400 debris 53 nautical miles south of Ormara; five crew still missing

Wreckage from missing K2 Airways cargo jet found off Pakistan coast
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The Pakistan Airports Authority confirmed at approximately 09:21 local time (04:21 GMT) Wednesday that search teams located wreckage belonging to K2 Airways flight KTA1732, a Boeing 737-400 cargo freighter registered AP-BOI. The debris was recovered from waters 53 nautical miles (98 km) south of Ormara, in Balochistan province, according to the PAA.

The aircraft, flying from Sharjah to Karachi, lost contact roughly 155 nautical miles west of Karachi late Tuesday. Five crew members remain missing. Cause not yet determined.

Timeline of the disappearance

According to Flightradar24 ADS-B data, the crew reported a navigational system issue at 21:18 PST (16:18 GMT) Tuesday and was being guided by Karachi Area Control Centre. Three minutes later, at 21:21 PST, radar showed the aircraft rapidly descending with a sharp heading change. No distress call was received before contact was lost.

The trajectory data shows extreme oscillation: a descent of roughly 5,000 feet in under a minute, followed by a climb of approximately 6,000 feet in 30 seconds, then a catastrophic dive from 36,550 feet. The final recorded data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet above sea level, descending at -22,400 feet per minute — roughly 400 km/h. Pakistan's last major civilian aviation disaster was the May 2020 PIA Airbus A320 crash in Karachi, which killed 97 people; that crash was attributed to pilot error. This incident involves a different airline, aircraft type, and flight profile, and no comparison to that cause has been established.

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Search continues for five crew members

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep sorrow, grief, and regret" and ordered intensified search efforts; President Asif Ali Zardari also issued condolences. K2 Airways said it is "fully cooperating" with the Civil Aviation Authority and continues to "pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues." No official declaration on the crew's status has been made. Boeing has not commented. Pilot Mohammad Rivar Idreez, First Officer Faisal Mahmood, Load Master Mohammad Taufik Khan, Engineer Arif Siddiqui, and crew member Mohammad Hamid remain unaccounted for as recovery of black boxes from deep water continues. Further updates as verified information becomes available.

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